Aldi does it too? Well, so do I!

I'm an idiot! I can't believe I've had my Fitbit for 2 years and have only just figured out the weight loss calorie adjustment!

I wondered why the heck it kept telling me to eat as much as I was burning, and then I ended up gaining weight after guesstimating a bit too much. I've now started using the food log properly, and though the first 3 weeks of the year now look a bit candy striped as I've apparently missed my goals loads without realising, I'm now on track to do better. But, 2lbs lost every week so far regardless. Heeey! 😇😇

Might as well use these tools, they're free! If you don't have a tracker but do have a smartphone, try these. I also used a combo of Strava, Runkeeper and MyFitnessPal. And yes, I wasn't obese then, so those things did help.🏃

One of the things I've learned is that protein is such a huge factor in levels of satisfaction and avoiding cravings. And so is fat! I used to avoid fat and really load up on starchy carbohydrates. But, I actually think I've cracked this malarkey now. I eat nuts, seeds, avocados... the very things I used to avoid. I'm not hungry, and I feel great.

I must fess up though, and it pains me to say, but that First for Wellbeing thing may well have been right about the booze. I may have had my dreams haunted by missing bottles of Malbec, but I have not just gained in the wallet. I've gained actual time back. It means extra minutes in the morning, extra energy to fit in my exercise, less ennui generally. I don't get hangovers... but I now recognise I was extra tired and hungry thanks to booze. So happy to be weaning myself off that. Wonder what I'll do when it gets to February? (38 cans of cider in the kitchen...)

Absolutely no problem getting up for the last 3 weeks of Parkrun, and getting faster each week. 🏃 I even ran in the rain today! Plus I've already won 2 Workweek Hustle challenges on Fitbit.🏆

I'm also looking to save money and pay off my debts still, so this weekend I thought I'd address my new-found weakness for protein-rich snacks. I've tried various ones from Aldi: the Pecan Pie crush bars; the Macademia and Coconut Paleo bars and both flavours of Cacao brownie - almond and raisin and peanut and choc chip. They are tasty, have no nasty extras, and fit my macros. Unfortunately, they're almost as expensive as regular chocolate bars, which I wouldn't have bought every day, so they are adding significantly to my brought-in lunch costs.

I found this recipe for 'paleo' bars that looked so similar to something I was tempted by in a café near work, I just had to give it a go. But I tweaked the measurements to make them more Brit-friendly.

150g blanched almonds
55g walnuts
35g cocoa
20 dates (just the ones I had, bought from the awesome grocers in the arcade in Gold Street)
orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
pinch salt.

What that gives me nutrition-wise is this:



And cost-wise, this:
almonds: £1.49

walnuts: £0.55

cocoa: £0.33

dates: £1.24

orange: £0.16

Total: £3.77 - 31p per bar.

This compares very favourably to the Aldi Peanut and Choc Chip Cacao Brownie, which at £1.49 for 3 is 50p per bar, and much the same size.

Also, I can confirm, delicious!

I'm a tad busy writing tonight, otherwise I'd cosy up with a library book. I found The Doctor's Kitchen, which I've been listening to the podcast of. Soon, soon...

If I Were Steve McQueen...

Hello to my new followers, Frugal Queen and Christine. Honoured to have you on board!

Apologies for taking so long to post a new blog. I am deep into a work project and it is a very anxious time for me as I want to do really well with it, hence I'm not around to blog very often.

Exciting times ahead. Now, if I were to tell you I'm just about to get into a big bucket of debt, you'd probably think, well, Frugal Wench - not doing too well at the old frugal thing, then, are you? But don't panic.

Don't Panic!

Thanks, Douglas Adams...

No, don't panic - it's all planned in, has been on the books for years and will stop the walls of my house falling off. And it will be my dodgy roof, as I will be part-owner!

Okay... I'll admit. I am a bit anxious. This a humongous thing I'm taking on, and it's oh-so-slightly eating into the big escape plan.

Steve McQueen: someone's nicked his bike.

No, the big escape plan.
It's a good plan, and I can see it clearly. Just like that pin on the floor, there.

Here is the plan:

• Take on responsibility for the house I am living in. Fix the roof and windows. Put in a proper bathroom. If time and resources permit, build a TARDIS in the garden.
• Work like a donkey. Live like a hermit - a hermit who has to get out there and network occasionally.
• Pay back the banker a bit quicker than the 60 months on the schedule.
• Get rid of that pesky mortgage.
• Earn enough to live solely on my freelance and performance work - this is all weighted towards editorial work at present. Hard slog ahead.

It's a plan that has concertina-stretched from 5 years to 7, to 3, now back to 10. At times I despair a bit. My dreams have been vivid and frightening. I think the important thing though is to keep on pushing - yes, it's a bit of a never-ending endeavour, like Sisyphus, though as Camus said, "The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart." Which is something about trying makes you happy.

We have a few social engagements and work travel, all booked and paid for last year, so we shan't be confined in our misery. However, a few additional need-to-spends have cropped up - my dad is getting married, for one!  So it's unlikely I'll be able to make a uni reunion abroad, and we will have to re-think our holiday plans, as Alsace turns out to be a bit too pricey to get to. After some discussion, we may just wait to see what turns up in the bargain last-minute breaks, but as we're not really too much into being herded into endless Hotel Miramars and Bellvueses and Bontinentals with their international luxury modern roomettes and their Watney's Red Barrel, we're not certain what we'll be able to get. Torr-e-mol-i-nos!

Isn't it weird, how you can sometimes get a beach holiday with all-inclusive chips and lager for cheaper than a 'self-catering' flat with a two-hob stove and dodgy lino somewhere cold near a museum?

Does travel broaden the mind, or merely increase the tan?

I think I need to stop thinking about holidays... wrong kind of escape.

It has been a good start to the year on the no-booze front. I decided to drink on one day, in solidarity with a friend who has been told she can no longer have any yeast-based foods, so it was a last hurrah to cider. But the next day I felt like someone had taken a pumice to my soul. I am not one to get hangovers, and not a frequent drinker either, but it has taken this break to show me how much booze affects me mentally as well as physically. I am quite sure I will continue to snaffle the occasional 'free wine' at a book launch, but I have absolutely no itch to start drinking again soon. Plus, I'm sure I have a few extra quid in my pocket as a result of this dry period.

Very happy to be the opposite of Nigel Farage too.

I'm also getting faster again. I did the a 5km run last week in 32.09, and this week at Parkrun achieved 31.39. My PB is 29.52 from 2013 - I will be back!

My attempts to do knitting in the round to make a baby dragon from the Ravelry website ended in a big fail, so I'm working on cute owls instead. Hope to finish by March. Let's Knit sent me access to a free magazine from May 2014 though, and there are loads of good patterns on there too!

Right, I'll try my best to post again soon. Take care everyone!

How Not to Be a Right 'Nana.

 

How are we all doing? Keeping up the resolutions? Good, good...

 

I have to say I am feeling pretty proud of myself so far...  firstly, I did the very first Parkrun of the year even though it was tipping it down with rain!! As a 'well done' I was allowed entry to a competition to win a place at the Virgin London Marathon. Maybe I'll do a marathon this year then? Or not... Oh Cripes; hope I don't actually win...

 

Then when I got in, I noticed OH had accidentally opened a letter for me from the bank. Apparently I'd gone over my overdraft limit and they were going to charge me £10. TEN SQUID! I was livid!

 

I have signed up for a text alert so I get notification if I am nearing my limit within £50 or so. I can then go into my account online and pay in money to my account before 3.30pm to make sure I don't get charged. On the day in question I got the alert because I was close to the limit. So I went online, made sure I wasn't actually over, and then checked again at various points through the day. So I knew darn well I hadn't been.

 

Most people would just shrug their shoulders and eat more chocolate at such news. But I work hard to earn every tenner and I'm not going to put up with a charge like that. I mean a tenner - that's a round!

 

I decided to call in at the bank in person and sort it out. If you are ever going to do this, you must remember the golden rules of (cuts both ways) customer service:

 

• Remember the person serving you is a human being; never be aggressive or rude. Keep your eyes friendly, your voice calm.
• Use phrases like, I understand why you have to say that, but; I appreciate your position on that particular issue, however. Basically, soften up before you say 'but'.
• They do have to be a gatekeeper and say no, but be persistent. And persistence shouldn't become aggressively persistent. If you reach an impasse, pause before going back to an earlier point.
• A good way of getting them to understand where you are coming from is to ask questions. "If these transactions were done overnight, shouldn't I have seen them on my statement in the day?"
• Don't argue about anything you know you are wrong about - you will trip up. They've seen it all and can spot chancers a mile off.
• Remember to say thank you - a lot. Thank them for checking the facts again, looking things up for you, and thank them after they have helped.

 

And, dear reader, you will be pleased to know after a bit of persistence, I got my money back. And then the same person was an absolute lovely and helped me bag up my post-Christmas piggy bank change so I could bank it.

 

It's worth noting that when you sign up to an overdraft facility it's at the bank's discretion. But they look at the long-term benefits of letting you have access to services like that (because they can make more money) and as long as you don't become a credit risk or a bit of a banking lemon, it does them more good to keep you on side. Hence, going into my branch  - often - works for me.

 

And then I ate the chocolate anyway.

 

So, week 1 of 2014 and I'm making the most of what I can get, which this week was bananas. I picked up a bag of 15 for 19p. Some of them were still good eaters, but there were a couple turning very brown, some black. This is the state people think chuck/banana cake, but we wanted to do something a bit different. I had a special request from OH, who doesn't really do breakfast, but wanted some energy bars to help fuel morning exercise. I adapted this recipe from one in an old, old Weightwatchers book to do the business:

 

Banana Energy Bars

 

Yes, they're full of sugar, so have limited claim to actually being 'healthy'. But they are full of all natural ingredients and you get slow release energy from the oats as well as fast release from the sugar.

 

Ingredients and facts:

 

 

• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C, Gas mark 4. Line and grease your tray (about 17 x 25cm - I used a lasagna dish).

• In a saucepan, slowly melt together the 100g spread, 50g sugar and 50g honey. When it's all melted, set aside to cool down a bit.

• Sift 100g self-raising flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl, add the 125g oats, 50g sunflower seeds and 40g chopped dates.

• Mash the bananas together, mix in beaten egg. Add this to the flour mixture.

• Stir in the syrupy mixture.

 

• Pour into the baking tray/lasagna dish/whatever you have, and bake for 25 minutes or so. It should be firm to the touch and golden brown.

• Let it cool for a bit, then cut into 10 bars.

 



 

Of course, this didn't use many of the  bananas... tomorrow I will let you know what I did with the rest. Nothing rude... just another recipe thing.

 

In the meantime, listen to a creepy story read by creepy old me. It's live now on Pseudopod. I read The Violin Family by James Douglas, which won second place in the Escape Artist Forum's Flash Fiction Contest 2013.

Can You be Sociable and Frugal?

I imagine a lot of people must take a look at my blog and wonder how the heck I can call mine a "frugal" lifestyle... I am jetting off to all sorts of places, going to things, doing sport, seeing friends... surely frugality is about paring your lifestyle  down to the basics?

A busy social life in the usual sense can be problematic. The truth is, if you have a financial goal or need to save money for any reason, or if you have no money spare at all, sometimes you really do have to say "no" to things you would rather say "yes" to. You just can't do everything.

A case in point, this weekend, there is something happening that I would love to go to and because I can't afford to get there, I feel like I am letting people down. I know OH feels the same.

 

But we can console ourselves that we have done lots of things lately, been as sociable as we could be, and are saving up for an important event at the end of the month - World Fantasycon - where we shall be very sociable indeed. (Hey, SFT - Joanne Harris is going to be there - squee!)

And of course we can still be a bit sociable before then! I am going volunteering at Parkrun again tomorrow, and will enjoy doing lots of cycling and visiting family over the weekend - and that won't cost anything.

Later in the month, I will be attending a talk about the Facial Reconstruction of King Richard III as well... again, for free! I am absolutely fascinated by 'The Cousins' War' and the story of how his body was found - so that should be very interesting indeed. There will also be an exhibition following that at Northampton Museum.

I will probably also be going to the Shakespeare exhibition at Abington before it finishes, and the Susan Macwilliam installation at NN gallery. If anyone wants to join me, let me know!

I am currently doing the Go Sober campaign, which will make attending the odd birthday celebration very cheap (sponsor me, someone, please!)  - and it's high time I had people round for tea and cake (I'll get baking...).

But whatever we do decide to do with our free time,  all our bills are taken care of for the month already. All our train tickets and hotel rooms are paid for in advance. Birthday gifts are covered... and I'm very into my homemade cards, of course. We've done a 'stockpile' order this month to take advantage of a bumper load of vouchers and free delivery options (and due to an inadvertent error by Sainsbury's, I now have even more money-off vouchers to compensate - yay!), so apart from a few fresh things we should cope pretty well.

What the advance shopping has also bought us plenty of is time... and with my extra time this weekend, I fully intend to do some de-cluttering, handicrafts, and a bit of gardening and getting out in the fresh air! I also have a book report to write, and I have time to do this, too.

So, although I'm sad about not being able to do something that would have been really nice, life is good. It really is.


UPDATE: Most people know this already, but OH completed his first triathlon in a very respectable 1 hour, 13 minutes.

I am immensely proud of him!

He didn't want a load of the many photos I took to be uploaded for the world to see without a thorough vetting, but I don't think he'd mind just this one, which happens to show him overtaking another competitor on the second lap of the cycling stage.

Sometimes it's Good to Meet Your Heroes

This weekend we went to my good friend the poet and editor Jamie Spracklen's birthday party to celebrate him being a couple of weeks younger than me. Much fun was had!

Here are the birthday band, the Trans-Siberian March Band, who were jolly good.

Unfortunately, I ran out of battery so couldn't take many photos.

The next day, OH and I took advantage of the fact that we were passing through anyway to stop off at Hyde Park for the World Triathlon Grand Final. What a brilliant day! Yes, the weather was miserable, but I was surprised the place wasn't packed out. After all - it was totally free to go and watch!

On the way, we passed through the Italian Gardens in Kensington - so pretty!

The first thing we saw when we went through were some of the age-groupers finishing their race... next year, OH hopes this will be him. His first triathlon is in 2 weeks, and is just a bit shorter.

And here are some of our other pictures from the day... we found a good spot just by the penalty box so we could see the swimming and the cycling/running fairly close to the finish line.

So pleased with this one - first lap in of the cycling Johnny Brownlee was in the lead, Alastair was third. Alas it didn't stay that way.

is it raining?

 

 

It was a shame Alastair got injured (but he bravely kept on running).

 

Afterwards we got to meet him and his brother, who got beaten into second place by Gomez... but they seemed fine and very stoic. Lovely lads!

 



 

 

And this is what happy looks like... OH gets to meet World Triathlon Champion 2013 - Non Stanford!



Neil loves Non! I think the term is 'squee!'

All in all a fantastic day... However, I am pretty convinced that standing that long watching may be slightly more exhausting than taking part in an actual triathlon???

 

Mmm... maybe not. But maybe I was tired after getting my new PB at Parkrun on Saturday. Oh yes, I've gone sub 30 at 29 minutes, 52 seconds! Watch out Brownlees, might just chick you!

 

Mmm... again, maybe not...





A Walk Around Great Brington

We're well into keeping fit this month. This is because a milestone is approaching...

OH has been signed up to do a triathlon, and I'm trying, well, just to do better. I have been planning healthy meals using the library-sourced Rosemary Conley Ultimate GI Jeans diet. I think I can conclude that even though I have been trying to buy my food as cheaply as possible, it is much more expensive for us to do our shopping this way. It costs us twice as much! I've lost weight, mind... Just don't think the budget can keep up.

 

 But, keeping up with exercise is easy enough. I am carrying on with Parkrun - even though my times are getting mysteriously slower - and OH has his gym membership covered right up until the triathlon. And to be sociable, we've spent time walking around beautiful Northamptonshire country towns. This weekend - Great Brington. Church patronised by the Spencer Family (of Princess Diana fame).

"Do you want me to stop?"
"No, carry on.... thanks!"

I love the Dairy Farm building

They had bagpipes, we heard them. I tried kilt-spotting, but they's all gone.

Beautiful church at Great Brington - St. Mary's

Shhhh!

Entrance to the Spencer family crypt

Diana, Princess of Wales's father and uncle are both resting here. But apparently, the famous Spencer daughter is on an island at Althorp House nearby...

 

 

Sunday Night is Bath Night

Daisy Steiner: "I can't just pluck another winter skincare dos and don'ts out of the air!"

Tim Bisley: "Why not?"*

 

Yes, because this blog is nowhere near enough geeky.

 

I promised myself a night of pampering after managing to fit in so much exercise the other week. No need to splash the cash though as I had everything I needed at home already. 

First,  a luxurious hair conditioning treatment.  Argan oil is touted as the wonder treatment de jour. Used in Morocco for centuries,  it's just catching on in the UK big time. 

I got a little 30ml sample from a friend whose family all live in Morrocco. If you went to a salon this treatment could set you back about £15 or possibly more.  Home treatments can be dear too. £5 for 50ml. I've seen Home Bargains online do 66 x 100ml for £17.99 so you could go in shares with a friend or stockpile, but I suggest checking your nearby HB shop out, or, if you have a specialist ethnic supermarket near you try there, as they will be a lot cheaper. These shops are also great for other natural beauty treatments like rose water and coconut oil at cheap prices. 

All you need to do is apply to your dry hair and scalp. 

It's great for multi-tasking this one... you really don't need much to really penetrate your hair so just wear an old tee-shirt, or clip on a towel, it's not going to really drip everywhere once it's on your head. Just don't go leaning back against your sofa or anything.

 

You need to leave the oil on for a minimum of 20mins, but I got on with an hour's worth of editing work.

 

...and yes, you can apply argan oil to your scalp if you have a dry scalp. It's pretty effective at combatting dandruff.

 

If you can't get hold of argan oil though, you can try olive oil, just on the ends, or even apply your usual conditioner, wrap your wet hair in a towel and stick a bag over the top to gently heat your hair and get more of the conditioner into it.

 

With 20 minutes to go, I applied my Home Bargains 25p chocolate mask. You don't need to use shop-bought masks though. Porridge oats in water can make a good exfoliating mask, or mashed banana or avocado for softness. As a teen, I used to use a paste made of caster sugar and water, but you have to be careful not to scrub off while it's still very grainy as it can be too harsh if you're not careful.

 

Mask, applied, pull a duck face. I mean muck face.

 

 

 

Then, you've got to get rid of it. Remove the mask with damp cotton wool or just splash it off with warm water. Then wash the gunk off your hair. Really wash it well. Use a second dollop of shampoo if needed. I chose to run a bath to do this - some purists will argue this is bad and wrong and a bit mucky, but all that argan oil goes in the water to soften your skin after it has been rinsed off your hair. Just remember to use clean water to rinse your hair in, or the oil will just stick back on and it will look like you haven't washed it at all.

 

I finished my pamper-evening with a hand and nail treatment of slightly warmed olive oil (just the cheap stuff), rubbing it into the cuticles. When rinsed off and dried, I used some Home Bargains emery board (79p) to shape and Aldi Lacura clear nail varnish (£1.99) - this is an attempt to save my nails ahead of my wedding, because they are flakier than the cast of TOWIE.

 

Sadly, I haven't earned my stripes too do this kind of thing again for a while... despite a park run of 31.11 on Saturday and a 4 mile walk on Sunday. But I have my gym induction tonight, so let's see how things go.

 

Oh, and there are no 'after' pictures. I am still ugly. But softer.

 

*I love Spaced.

Bling's the Thing

My wedding dress arrived yesterday. I'd ordered it not knowing if it was going to be right. Would it look awful? Would it stand a chance of fitting?

As it turns out, it is a shade too small - which is perfect! I need to diet off a couple of bits of poundage to be the best on my big day. The dress zips up from hips to waist, and then laces up across the back, so should also be quite forgiving.

What does it look like? Sneak a peek at a tiny corner of it here:

It wasn't a thousand pound dress, it has sequins on the bodice, not diamante or crystal, but it looks floaty and amazing!

 

Thanks to my friend Sam, I think I have located something fantastic to go on my head, too. I hope you don't mind me keeping it all as a bit of a surprise.

 

But my search for wedding bling is not yet finished...

 

I'm on a bit of a quest.

 

You may have seen jewellery bouquets before. I saw one displayed at Most Marvellous Place in Northampton and fell in love with it. It would be perfect for my Steampunk-style day.

 

 

I saw an example of one over at Vintage Magpie. They can be pretty expensive in some quarters, but I have found a lovely lady called Ann at MMP who will make one up from my own and donated jewellery. Just simple costume jewellery, some beads and a few buttons can make a wonderful bouquet. I would link to one of hers, but she doesn't have one on her site just yet. So, I'm looking for pieces featuring red, purple and ivory. I'm not fussy about the neutrals, base colours and metals, a mix will do. If you spot any that are cheap as chips, or have anything you don't mind donating, please let me know. I'm looking for brooches, beads, earrings, anything - broken is fine - priced at about £1 per piece. I'm looking for around 40 items, and aiming to source most things myself to keep costs low. All help will be greatly appreciated!

 

Tonight I'm breaking my social curfew and heading to the pub. I promise there's a good reason: I'm meeting a friend to help make the buttonholes for OH, his best man and brother. Can't be too boozy because I need to watch pennies, of course, do a good job on the buttonholes, and save my WW points for the rest of the weekend. Also I need to get up for Parkrun in the morning. The last two were snowed off, and I've really missed it.

The Joys of Thrifting and Gifting

As we save up for our big day, I am determined to make sure that we make our celebration as unique to ourselves as possible, while trying out new things.

My other half was very impressed by the card I made my nephew for his birthday (his birthday is today, but it was his party at the weekend). Ash liked it more when I pointed out that Eeyore was Winnie the Pooh's best friend.If I'd tried to make one of Winnie, I'd have had to use yellow-green instead of yellow foam. It would be as though Winnie had eaten too much honey made by the bees around that French M&Ms factory.

He also seemed to like the 'hitting sticks' we got him - a set of children's golf clubs. He is set to be a very sporty little boy indeed! Or a violent one...

The clubs were originally a present for me... dare I say I'm very short, but not that short.

I wore my latest craft project to the children's party - a thrifted jumper, bought back in November, that I jazzed up with an applique tartan stag's head on Friday. Bang on trend for £2.99! Unfortunately it got 'nephewed' before I had chance to take a picture as my 8-year old nephew, my little Genius, deceived me with a hug before using my clothes as handy chocolate-removing napkin.

I do believe this year my OH and I are going to be revisiting crafts with a vengeance. He has borrowed a pattern to make dashing waistcoats for his outfit, and if I have time I may be making dresses myself. I'm also going to be attending a chocolate-making workshop next month, run by my sister-in-law, an extremely talented cook and food-writer. She makes gorgeous chocolates, and if I can aim to reach her standards, I'll be making the favours for the wedding.

Don't these Baileys truffles look yummy?

www.annie-ko.com

 Plus, they will make marvellous Valentine's Day gifts.

Other good things this week - I got a new personal best time at Park Run: 5km in 30 minutes 53 - go me!

Paradise Follows Purgatory (or is it the other way round?)

Right now it feels like utter luxury to be able to sit at my PC and update my blog. My Wi-Fi has been playing up for days - leading to a rash and panicky decision that I'm going to have to undo tomorrow morning. Being without internet access when the world is waiting on your word (I'm responsible updating a website very regularly with member nominations for a literary award) is very stressful.


Saturday I earned myself some smug points as I made it to Parkrun. I'm a big fan of this, and if you're looking to get fit, lose weight or just meet a load of enthusiastic (and sweaty) people, and save money, then forget joining an expensive gym. You can register at Parkrun for free and take part in regular 5km runs in many places round the UK - and in several other countries too.

Who takes part? Well, there are your elite runners and running club members who are going to run round in about 17 minutes, there are your pretty good runners who just take it easy and chat all the way round, there are the unfit and wheezy, there are the ones who think they can't but then find they can (me), there are mums and dads pushing buggies, people with dogs (at some runs, some don't allow dogs), there are primary school children (some of them surprisingly fast) and pensioners too - it's for everyone.

You get a time and statistics recorded which get texted to you later in the day. My best time is 31:29 - so far. This week I made it round in 32:30. I finished in 126th place and was the 44th lady out of a field of 157 parkrunners and  came 8th in my age category VW35-39.Yes, this is sort of towards the back of the pack, but the atmosphere is so encouraging that this is all fine for me. I like running with my friend Jen who can run around at the same sort of pace as me. When my brother goes, he can finish top ten, talented so and so, grrr!

As if my run wasn't tiring enough, I then had to carry poor Maddy cat to the vets as she has a sensitive skin condition. She doesn't get it flaring up very often, but she is prone so it's a potential cost I'm aware of for 'self-insurance'. If your cat has pre-existing conditions like mine has, it may not be value for money to shell out for monthly insurance, but it is still wise to 'self-insure'. Luckily, Maddy loves the vet and likes going there to sit on her pedestal (scales) and have a lovely fuss (receive an injection that she doesn't seem to notice going in).

I got home in time to make N a lovely butternut squash soup before a trip to town. He gets hungry and ratty in quick succession, which can be expensive if out and about. He still needed a supermarket snack when we'd finished, but at least we didn't have to buy a meal (next time, I'm also packing a sandwich). But we have now managed to book our honeymoon to Malta, pick up my  ring and pay the venue deposit. I'm afraid savings will only cover some of those, but we will work at clearing the finance as quickly as possible. That's the Purgatory bit. I'm very grateful to advice from Malta-loving friends without whom we may have booked a holiday on the wrong side of the island.

Saturday night was less positive as I struggled to work without Internet access, hence fired up by stress, I went to the library this morning to book a computer to go online only to be told it was a pound for every twenty minutes! I'm sorry, but it's cheaper to go to a hotel and book theirs. I was told you could get an hour's free access on Fridays. Well, whoop-de-doo, but I work in the week. I was also told it had always been something you needed to pay for. Er- no it hasn't. I had free access just this year! I know it was this year because I was working on my witch exhibition. Then I passed the bargain books sale table and was disheartened to see Joanne Harris's Gentlemen and Players on there. One of the country's most popular writers? And I took that book out just last month myself! It used to be that books went in the sale if they hadn't been taken out in a few months, but now it seems borrowing them won't save them. Ladies and gentlemen - if you hadn't noticed, our libraries are still very much in trouble.

So that is when I made a stressed call to my ISP and ended up ordering a router that is way too much for our wants and needs... and the WiFi came back on tonight after all. Must have been local network issues. I will have to cancel the order first thing. How annoying!

But I unwound a little by going for a swim. We take the nieces swimming once or twice a month. I have a leisure card which gets me discounted swims and we go on Sunday lunchtimes because the pool is less busy then and you don't get a maximum time allocated, so you can have a good long swim. And I can now think about the blue sea on the shores of Sliema, where I'll be going for my honeymoon in May.